AB1552-HPR HEALTH PERCEPTION OF PATIENTS WITH FIBROMYALGIA IN BRAZIL
Authors: M. Antunes, A. Torres Cruz, P. De Oliveira Januário, A. Pasqual Marques
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2022)

Background Fibromyalgia is a rheumatologic syndrome characterized by chronic pain and symptoms such as fatigue, morning stiffness, sleep disturbances and depression. Health perception is a global assessment of health based on an analysis of the objective and also subjective aspects of each person. Health self-assessment is increasingly researched and shows the health status of the population, considering the individual’s personal perspective and that this information can be useful to propose health promotion strategies. Objectives To identify the health perception of patients with fibromyalgia who live in Brazil. Methods This is a cross-sectional study that was carried out in Brazil in 2021. They were invited to participate in the research. Individuals with fibromyalgia were invited to participate in the study through the Brazilian Association of Fibromyalgia Patients (ABRAFIBRO) in August 2021. The invitation was sent via email to all people registered with this association in the country. Self-perception of health was questioned through the following response options: bad, fair, good or very good. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results The study consisted of 243 people with fibromyalgia living in different states of Brazil. Most were female (97.5%), married or living with a partner (63.7%), of white race/color (58%), receiving 1 to 2 minimum wages (60.4%), with complete higher education (46.5%) and who administer more than 2 medications per day (65.8%). Regarding the perception of health, the majority reported that their health was regular (42.4%), followed by bad (38.3%), good (16%) and very good (3.3%). Conclusion The most prevalent health perception in people with fibromyalgia in Brazil was: “regular”, followed by “bad”, “good” and “very good”. In view of the findings of this study, measures to control and prevent health risks in people with fibromyalgia become necessary. In order to implement policies to promote a healthy life for this population, it is necessary to know the determinants of these indicators of self-reported health morbidity in Brazil. It is also suggested that the results of this investigation be monitored by periodic population-based surveys, in order to verify the determination of the observed associations, being able, in the future, to detect an association with other variables. In addition, these data can guide and evaluate education and health promotion strategies in fibromyalgia. References [1]Antunes M, Schmitt A, Marques AP. Ab0912-hpr Amigos de Fibro (Fibro Friends): educational program to promote the health of people with fibromyalgia in Brazil. 2021; Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2021;80:1478. [2]Antunes MD, Couto LA, Bertolini SMMG, Rocha Loures FCN, Schmitt ACB, Marques AP. of interdisciplinary health education programs for individuals with fibromyalgia: A systematic review. Journal of Education and Health Promotion. 2021;10(64):1-8. Doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4103%2Fjehp.jehp_592_20 . [3]García-Ríos MC, Navarro-Ledesma S, Tapia-Haro RM, Toledano-Moreno S, Casas-Barragán A, Correa-Rodríguez M, et al. Effectiveness of health education in patients with fibromyalgia: a systematic review. European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. 2019;55(2):301–13, 2019. Doi: https://doi.org/10.23736/S1973-9087.19.05524-2 Acknowledgements This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001 Disclosure of Interests None declared